Today, the H&M Group Sustainability Performance Report 2019 is released. It highlights progress towards the company’s vision to lead the change towards circular and climate positive fashion while being a fair and equal company.

“I am proud of all the progress we did in 2019. Looking ahead, not only our industry will continue changing rapidly, but also the world as a whole. This 2020 has started with a challenge we never saw before with the spread of COVID-19 affecting the whole world, companies and societies. I am confident that the long-term vision we always had, and will continue having, on sustainability will play an – even more – crucial role in facing these challenges. It will be more important than ever to continue our journey towards a circular economy and sustainable consumption while creating prosperity through job opportunities. This report is only a summary of the great effort all our colleagues around the world do every day to change the future of fashion,” says Anna Gedda, Head of Sustainability H&M Group.

Some highlights from 2019 include:

• We reached 97% recycled or other sustainably sourced cotton and will not source conventional cotton for collections from 2020 onwards. We achieved 57% of our materials to be either recycled or sourced in a more sustainable way thereby taking steps towards our 100% goal for 2030.
  

• We are launching our business-to-business service Treadler, which offers textile and apparel retailers access to H&M Group’s supply chain, enabling other companies to accelerate sustainable social and environmental change through their own value chains more quickly.
  

• We explored new circular business models and launched several circular initiatives involving on-demand, customization, repair, rental, renewal, re-commerce options and reusable packaging.
  

• Our Circular Innovation Lab piloted new sustainable materials such as the cellulosic fibre made by Infinited Fiber Company from recycled cotton textiles and Re:newcell’s ground-breaking and first-time ever chemically recycled material Circulose launching the first product using this breakthrough technology in early 2020.
  

• We made it to CDP’s prestigious Climate A-list for leading effort against climate change.
  

• We started to map and disclose viscose and other man-made cellulosic fibre suppliers and were ranked as a frontrunner in Changing Market’s Roadmap to responsible viscose supplier disclosure report.
  

• 100% of our textile and leather supply chain, with over 600 suppliers, are now enrolled in the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals programme.
  

• 900,000 supply chain workers benefit from improved wage management systems and more than 1,1 million have been reached by industrial relations and workplace dialogue programmes.
  

• We collected 29,005 tonnes of garments – an increase of 40% from 2018, reaching our goal of 25,000 tonnes annually a year early.

For more information read the full Sustainability Performance Report 2019 and our digital reporting site at sustainabilityreport.hmgroup.com.